Three Person Solution: Creating Sustainable Collaborative Relationships

by Paul Ryan

The Three Person Solution resolves problems with human interaction by formalizing three person relationships. Two against one dynamics disappear. Double binds dissolve. A collaborative relational practice becomes possible for many people. Two person relationships benefit indirectly. Our tendency is to view any three person interaction in classic dramatic terms, but the structure of this relational practice, called Threeing, is not a narrative structure. The Three do not interact dramatically following a story line to an ending. Rather, the Three interact recursively, following a circuit that balances relationships. To partake in the process of Threeing, narrative expectations must be abandoned. The practice of Threeing can keep relationships healthy and thriving in family settings, intercultural situations, educational programs, collaborative research, collaborative art making, peace making, governance, management, online groups, worker training and environmental initiatives. This book includes an explanation of the theory of Threeing based on the cybernetics of Gregory Bateson and the philosophy of Charles Peirce, examples of Threeing in education and worker training, and detailed instructions for using the Three Person Solution.

155 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2009

About the author

Paul Louis Ryan (1943–2013) was an American video artist and communications theorist.


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